Blood Drive

As we move into the summer months are thoughts are often occupied by planning for and taken that long-awaited vacation. After a full year of work, goodness knows we have earned it. We need to be reminded that the needs of our community continue, and that the need of our hospitals for blood has not diminished.

An item in the *Washington Examiner* on Sunday, July 11 read “Region faces blood shortage: Although summer is historically slow for blood donations, the D.C. area has seen major blood shortages this year. Levels of type O-the universal blood type-are critically low”.

We will be co-hosting our next Blood Drive on August 14th, 8:00 am -12:30 pm in conjunction with our esteemed brothers at Ashburn-Sterling Lodge 288! I am hoping that everyone will consider signing up to donate. And if you can’t donate, please recommend our drive to your Family members, friends and co-workers. Giving blood is a generous, selfless, and beneficial thing to do for the community, and will help to ensure that an adequate supply of blood is available for the victims of accidents, patients needing to undergo lifesaving operations, and patients of all ages who depend on transfusion to survive.

Blood has to be there on the shelf ready to use if a disaster, an emergency surgery, or other unforeseen crisis occurs. It takes days of processing of donated blood in order to make it ready to use, and the only way to keep the blood supply ready is to donate whenever you can. Organizations like ours are huge help in the effort to ensure that the blood supply is maintained.

You can visit http://www.inova.org/donateblood and use sponsor code 7438 and make an appointment yourself, or you can call me at 703-655-4655 and I will make an appointment for you.

We have had success in our past blood drives, but the need never diminishes. We need volunteer donors now. Please consider being one of them.

We will also be hosting a Child ID program, sponsored by the Virginia State Police. Registering a child give parents an ID card for each child helpful for emergency situations.

When you participate you will be giving something that can’t be manufactured artificially in the lab, and might mean the difference between life and death for someone!

THANK YOU! to all of those that donated and to those that might have been turned away.

Worshipful David King tapping a vein

Thank you to all of our Super Heroes!

Brother Rob manning the Command Center

Herndon Lodge and Freedom Lodge are co-hosting a 3rd Blood Drive this year on Saturday, July 29 from 8a to 1p.

Please consider signing up to donate. And if you can’t donate, please recommend our Drive to your family members, friends and co-workers. Giving blood is a generous, selfless, and beneficial thing to do for the community, and will help to ensure that an adequate supply of blood is available for the victims of accidents, patients needing to undergo lifesaving operations, and patients of all ages who depend on transfusion to survive.

Blood has to be there on the shelf ready to use if a disaster, an emergency surgery, or other unforeseen crisis occurs. It takes days of processing of donated blood in order to make it ready to use, and the only way to keep the blood supply ready is to donate whenever you can. Organizations like ours are huge help in the effort to ensure that the blood supply is maintained.

You can visit www.inova.org/donateblood and use sponsor code 7438 and make an appointment yourself, or you can call me at 703-655-4655 and I will make an appointment for you.

We have had good success in our past blood drives, but the need never diminishes. We need volunteer donors now. Please consider being one of them!

When you participate you will be giving something that can’t be manufactured artificially in the lab, and might mean the difference between life and death for someone!!

I had a conversation with the Inova Blood Donor coordinator on Thursday, during which she explained to me that in accordance with a new policy recently put in place, we must provide absolute written commitment on the part of 32 donors minimum in order to bring a Bloodmobile to our lodge for a blood drive.

In 2011, our lodge conducted 3 blood drives and although the participation in the first one on February 19th barely achieved the needed participation, the succeeding ones did not. On the July 23rd drive, Inova only received 23 donations and on October 15th only 17 were received.

We love to see “walk-ins” during our blood drives, but we cannot guarantee to Inova that there will BE walk-ins. Their fiscal requirements are such that they have to make receive a set number of donations in order to justify the expense in equipment and staffing and break even on the Bloodmobiles they send out.

Given these cold facts, I would like a show of “e-hands” letting me know if you will be able to donate in our upcoming March 3rd Blood Drive. These would include you, your family members, or friends who will definitely donate on that day.

If we cannot come up with the needed count of 32 donors, Inova cannot send the Bloodmobile out to us. They receive excellent participation when large organizations like the Washington Capitols, WTOP Radio, and the Washington Nationals sponsor drives, but small drives like ours cost them money if we cannot provide the return they need.

We have to be realistic about our support of the blood program. If we cannot turn out the donations for a blood drive, then we will have to turn our support to donations made at the donor centers in our region. Regular donors are the backbone of the blood program. If you can make regular donations a part of your routine (every 8 weeks for whole blood) you will be supporting one of the most worthy and necessary programs in our area. Also, your donations at the donor centers count in the quarterly totals we report to The Grand Lodge of Virginia.

One week until our final blood drive of the year, and we still have a great need for volunteer donors for next Saturday, October 15th.

We are moving into fall, and we are beginning to see the change of season in the leaves and feel it in the crisp mornings. Please remember that we enjoy these because we have our health, and that there are those in our community who by reason of injury or devastating illness cannot look forward to fall or enjoy the wonder of the seasons.

We can help them by giving of ourselves by offering donations of a pint of blood. We help a victim of trauma, cancer, or other severely ill patients. They can be little children, expectant mothers; they can be the people you see each day.

It is so important that we support the ready blood supply. Only volunteer donors can do this. It is our duty to help where we can.

Please sign up to donate. If you can’t donate, please encourage family members and coworkers to come and donate. It is quick, only an hour or so out of your day, but it could mean a lifetime to someone.

You can visit www.inova.org/donateblood and use sponsor code 7438 and make an appointment yourself, or you can call me at 703-655-4655 or email me at Masonic264Blooddrive@gmail.com and I will make an appointment for you. If you aren’t sure you can donate and don’t want to register, please come to the Lodge and be a “walk-in” appointment!

We are coming up on our last blood drive of 2011. We started the year with a strong showing, but our previous blood drive, held in July was less than what we had hoped it would be. Summer is tough on blood drives, and it was on ours, too!

Our next Blood Drive will be held on October 15th, and again we will pitching-in with our Brothers from Ashburn-Sterling Lodge 288. We are hoping for a good strong showing this time. Please put this event on your calendar and plan to come and donate a pint of blood. We welcome brethren, family, friends and walk-ins, and hope this drive will be success that we all hope for.

Remember, this is the most generous kind of donation you can give, the gift of life and hope. Blood cannot be manufactured; it must come from generous donors like us.

We are moving into that part of the year where rest and relaxation becomes a focus of our attention. Planning vacations and anticipating the “away” time is almost as much fun as actually taking a well-earned rest. We love to take time off. And with the kind of economy we are in and the year we have had, we have more than earned it.

Accidents and illness never take time off though, and because of that there is always the need for a continuous supply of donated blood. Our local blood banks depend upon blood drives and volunteer donors to meet that need. When volunteers don’t come, the needs become critical very quickly. Locally, blood banks seldom have more than a single day’s supply on hand. In the event of a catastrophic accident, that supply would be quickly consumed.

Volunteer blood donors literally all that stand between life and death for accident victims, surgical cases, and people with people with blood diseases. Your donation may actually save a life in our community.

I am also hoping that you will consider becoming a regular blood donor, either whole blood or Automated Blood Collection (ABC) through INOVA I will have information available at the next blood drive.

Our next blood drive is coming up on July 30 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Once again we will be working with Ashburn-Sterling Lodge 288. I am hoping that you will consider signing up to donate with us on that day. You can make and appointment by going to www.inova.org/donateblood, click on Schedule an Appointment, and use sponsor code 7438. You can also email masonic264blooddrive@gmail.com and let me know you want an appointment!

THIS TERRIBLE WINTER has created a blood shortage so deep that the American Red Cross has had to issue an emergency nationwide appeal for blood donations. This has not happened since 2004.

Because of the intense winter storms, more than 14,000 blood and platelet donations have been cancelled in last month. Even though several blood banks operate in our region, and many serve others regions throughout the country, all blood donated, regardless of where it was donated, is sent where the needs are. What is needed right now is a response to this crisis, as the winter continues.

We as Masons can help alleviate this extreme situation, and encourage our families and friends to help too, by signing up and planning to donate in our next Blood Drive, which is scheduled for February 19 from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm.

At present we have many open appointment slots. We really need your help in making this blood drive a success, and to help meet this looming crisis.

Please mark your calendars for February 19 when we have the Inova Bloodmobile at the Herndon Lodge from 8:00 am to 12:30 pm.

We will be co-hosting our blood drives this year with our Brethren from Ashburn-Sterling 288, and hope to fill up the appointment slots as quickly as possible.

Walk-ins are also welcome, as always! It has been our experience that there are always some who are not sure whether or not they will be available to donate on Blood Drive Day, and so don’t want to schedule an appointment they have to miss. We understand, and are assured by the Inova Bloodmobile folks that as long as we have donors, they will stay on-site and they will not turn anyone away!

On November 13, we had 38 registered donors, which is an excellent turnout. We are always hoping to be our previous numbers, so please consider signing-up or walking in, and encourage family members and friends to come along and donate, too!

These blood drives are an excellent way to perform a wonderful service to our lodge and to our community. Giving blood is a generous, selfless, and beneficial thing to do, and will help to ensure that an adequate supply of blood is available for the victims of accidents, patients needing to undergo lifesaving operations, and patients of all ages who depend on transfusion to survive. Donating is safe and quick, and the gift of blood helps your community and your neighbors.

Herndon Lodge 264 and Ashburn Sterling Lodge 288 will be hosting our next blood drive on Saturday, November 13th, starting at 8:00 am to 12:30pm. We would like to invite you to make an appointment and come and donate blood with us on that day.

The blood supply is always very low in our area, and hospitals and blood banks have to turn to volunteers in the community to help meet that need. Blood cannot be manufactured. There is no such thing as artificial blood. Maybe off in the future there might be, but right now the only way to answer the need for blood is if someone is willing to be generous enough to volunteer to give it. I am hoping that it might be YOU.

But more than that, I am asking you to consider making donating blood a regular thing in your life, like getting a dental checkup or getting the car inspected. There is no action more loving and generous in nature, more humble, or more anonymous, than donating blood.

Remember, you can make your own appointment for the next drive by visiting http://www.inova.org/donateblood, click on "Schedule an Appointment" and use sponsor code 7438.

This is our last blood drive of the year, and we have had three successful drives. Inova Blood Donor Services is pleased with how well we have done this year, and is very grateful for our support. The blood we donate goes to all the hospitals in the area, not just Inova's. Their blood bank answers the need wherever it exists.

Remember, a single pint of blood that you donate has the potential to save 3 lives. Please volunteer to donate on November 13th.

Make a Donation

100% of your donation will go directly to the lodge and help care for our building, the fraternity and the brothers of Herndon Lodge No. 264.

What is Freemasonry

Freemasonry is a fraternity which encourages its members to practice the faith of their personal acceptance. It also teaches that each person, through self-improvement and helping others, has an obligation to make a difference for good in the world.